Letters to the editor: 9/27

County must not make same mistakes as Detroit

With Detroit's recent revelation of overwhelming municipal debt and unfunded public pensions, the wheels have come off the Motor City, now in the throes of filing for bankruptcy. The latest and largest casualty in a surging number of insolvent cities, Detroit joins such fiscally unstable municipalities as San Bernardino and Stockton, Calif.; Harrisburg, Pa; and Jefferson County, Ala., in seeking bankruptcy protection from creditors.

Not surprising, the root cause for the financial mess in which many American cities find themselves is unbridled overspending that outpaces tax revenues. In such circumstances, as bankruptcy approaches, inevitably governing bodies are forced to decimate the ranks of public employees to help avoid going over the fiscal cliff.

Sadly, such draconian measures create not only a bad outcome for laid-off civil service employees, but for affected taxpayers subjected to drastic cuts in essential public services such as police and firemen protection.

In cobbling the 2014 budget, Dutchess County officials must be diligent in carefully formulating a plan that balances upcoming revenues and expenditures in the context of a sputtering local economy, reduced sales tax proceeds, and a wobbly real estate market. Clearly, we must not lose sight of the Detroit debacle and its dire fiscal warnings to government at all levels.

Joe Incoronato

Dutchess County legislator (District 15)

Wappingers Falls

Lyme series revives real investigative reporting

In an era of pop news and government sound bites, Mary Beth Pfeiffer has brought back real investigative reporting in a wonderful series. As a California Lyme sufferer, I can't wait to read her next article, unwrapping the baloney we have been fed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infectious Diseases Society of America concerning Lyme treatment.

Finally, someone is telling the truth. What a relief to read common sense from Lyme-literate doctors, for example, revealing that the original guidelines for Lyme treatment were, indeed, Allen Steere's opinion.

Keep up the good work. There must be some kind of journalistic award for this kind of integrity. As you delve more deeply into the quagmire of Lyme, and uncover even more nuggets negating the Lyme treatment debate, the lot of us "Lyme Loonies," so-called by the CDC, will be watching with such gratitude and admiration that someone has taken on the establishment and is discovering that the emperor truly has no clothes.

Susan Savod

Alamo, Calif.

Church eager to continue mission in new location

First Baptist Church of Poughkeepsie made a significant change on May 2. We sold our church on the corner of Mill and Market streets and moved to 164 S. Cherry St. The 260 Mill St. location was our home for more than 138 years. It was difficult to say goodbye to a church we knew and loved. We're pleased that the Changepoint Church purchased the building and will make their new home there once renovations are complete. First Baptist Church has a rich history of doing good things for our community and we look forward to continuing that tradition from our new church home.

We're grateful to be in our new church on the corner of South Cherry Street and Forbus streets. We've been embraced by our neighbors with welcoming words and kind gestures. We get waves and smiles, people toot their horns and many people take a moment to shout out how nice the church is looking! We were asked, "Are you going to put the sign board up here at this new place?" Yes, we will provide the ever popular message board out front, as soon as it's made. We thank the people who've supported us during this move and we appreciate the warm welcome at our new church location. We look forward to remaining involved in the downtown Poughkeepsie community. To complete the process and to be official, we will have a dedication service at 10 a.m., on Sunday, Oct. 13. All are welcome.

Donna Medici

moderator, First Baptist Church

Poughkeepsie

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Letters to the editor: 9/27

County must not make same mistakes as DetroitWith Detroit's recent revelation of overwhelming municipal debt and unfunded public pensions, the wheels have come off the Motor City, now in the throes